Coconut shell basket

ABSTRACT

A coconut shell basket is another craft and work of art. People who see coconut baskets don&#39;t believe they are made from coconut shells. In the future they will be seen at craft shows for sale. They will be mixed with many other crafts in china cabinets and will be an object of interest, and will not be made anywhere else. They can also be hung on Xmas trees, and have handles painted different colors; red, white and blue. Some handles will be painted a dark walnut color to blend in with bottom color of coconut shell baskets. Some baskets will get white handles to match white base color of PVC white base, or white ring on base of some coconut baskets. Wood based coconut baskets will be painted and touched up dark walnut color to match other parts of coconut baskets. Baskets vary in shades.  
     Coconut baskets will have some different kinds of dry flowers in them at craft shows and on display. They will look neat and like something different. Some will have small white rocks in them, and different materials of different colors to make them look interesting.

[0001] A coconut shell basket, article, is provided of a coconut shell made into a small basket from a coconut shell. In five (5) parts, part #1 bottom of a coconut shell is cleaned off and ground off to find a center of bottom end, and to have a {fraction (17/64)}″ hole drilled in same. Part #2, top part of a shell center is located to be also drilled a {fraction (17/64)}″ hole in center of top of shell. Part #3, a ¼″ round rod 10 ¼″ long is inserted through center of coconut shell. Part #4, coconut shell is placed in a specially made jig for coconut shell to be marked for cutting of top half of coconut shell for top handle of coconut shell basket. Part #5, coconut shell is placed in a second jig to be marked for a body cut around middle of coconut shell. The coconut shell is rotated in a jig by hand against a hack saw blade to be marked for bandsaw body cut in approximately the middle of coconut shell towards bottom of shell ready for bandsaw after cutting and cut out pieces removed, all coconut meat is removed from shell, and shell cleaned up and trimmed and made ready for base, a ¾″×2 ⅛″ diameter plywood round. Bottom to be installed, ¾″ plywood is counter sunk to fit over hump on bottom and glued in place on base. Other bottom pieces are also made of P.V.C. pipe 2″ diameter, cut ¾″ long, and also glued on base of coconut shell baskets, they fit over hump and are glued inside and outside on bottom of coconut shell basket, All 17?64″ holes are plugged with ¼″×¾″ stove bolts after bottom is glued in place and all sealed up. Holes in top handles are also all sealed up at finish of basket with ¼″ dowel pins ¼″ long glued in place on handles.

SUBJECT MATTER

[0002] A coconut shell basket is a nice size basket with a ¾″ wide handle on top, a wood ¾″×2 ½″ round wood base on bottom of a wide part of shell, bottoms can also have a ¾″×2 ⅜″ pipe plastic P.V.C. white on bottom as they are cheaper to produce and cover hump on bottom. This makes a nice size draft unusual and not seen before, a conversation piece with many questions: who makes them, I have never seem them before, a unique basket looks like an antique basket.

BASE ELEMENTS OF INVENTION

[0003] A coconut shell is a very difficult object to make with experience from working on mini-walnut shells, I had to tackle the coconut shell, and make a basket. A coconut shell is very tough, hard gummy and hard to handle. You have to have jigs to make things handy and easy, you have to be able to make jigs and take measurement and use hand tools. I built two (2) jigs and made lots of changes before I got them completed to my satisfaction. All coconuts have to be drained of water first, drilled, and out come the water, and then I go to work and use my jigs to mark the shells.

OUTLINE OF SUBJECT MATTER

[0004] To start first, clean bottom of coconut shells to find center and to drill {fraction (17/64)}″ hole top and bottom. Put ¼″×10 ¼″ round rod through center of coconut shell, all measurements go from center rod when placed in jig. After all markings are on coconut shell, for cutting on bandsaw, after cutting is finished, all shells are cleaned out of fruit, shells are put back in jig to have bottoms put on, and blued in place on base, last operation is to plug all holes top and bottom with wood plugs glued in place on top handles. ¼″×¾″ stove bolts used in bottom base holes.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0005] I had the idea for years to make a basket from a coconut shell. I did not have the tools to succeed, then I made a mini walnut basket from a walnut shell. Now I have tackled a coconut shell again and have succeeded from when I first tried, as I have more experience and better tools. Using safety equipment and being a mechanic for 40 years helps with new ideas. New tools, bench grinder, band saw, electric drills, ruler, level, and square are all needed to make this basket.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

[0006] A coconut basket is made from a coconut shell. It's a novelty craft, made from an odd shaped object of very hard material. It's not a clean object to work on. Fans are needed to take dust away. Ways and means had to be found on how to cut, measure, find center of shell, and keep a balance in dividing up top and bottom parts of shell, handle on top body of bottom part, and a base at bottom for basket to set on. A base is glued on and held in place in a jig, and glue sets up and then basket is removed from jig. Bird houses made from coconut shells also get bottoms glued on so they can stand up when on display, and an eye bolt on top so they can hang from tree. I put a rain cover over entry hole to keep rain out; one inch above top of bird house, and drain hole in bottom, and two vent holes in top to help keep birds cool. Bases also first glued, then bolted, ¼″×¾″ stove bolts through hole already in bottoms of all coconut shell baskets and bird houses.

DRAWINGS OF COCONUT SHELL BASKETS

[0007] Page #5. FIG. #1

[0008] #1. Drawing of master jig. {fraction (17/64)}″ holes drilled on top and bottom of coconut shell, on center for center pin.

[0009] #2. Coconut shell goes into jig (on center pin) for marking the body using a hack saw, in saw guides on master jig (A) for band saw cutting into coconut shell. Hack saw does marking for band saw cut.

[0010] #3. Coconut shell goes into jig on vertical pin (B) ¼″ with small scorer for marking handles. Use only one side of small scorer for marking bird houses.

[0011] #4. Coconut shell goes to band saw to cut body and handle markings to form a coconut shell basket, or on marking for a bird house.

[0012] #5. All fruit is removed from coconut shell.

[0013] Page #6. FIG. #2

[0014] Coconut shell basket is placed on vertical pin (B) of main jig with PVC bottoms and wooden stabilizer disc inserted into PVC bottom. They are glued in place together. This process also applies to bird houses (see page 3, also for step 6). Bird houses are glued back together after inside work is completed. Bases are also glued and bolted on.

[0015] Page #7. FIG. #3

[0016] Finished bird houses have rain covers of same material as coconut shell to shelter entry hole of 1½″ diameter for swallows. Eye bolts on top of bird house for hanging from trees.

[0017] Step 6 There is also a ¼″ drain hole in bottom of bird houses, and ¼′ vent at top of bird houses under rain cover. Rain cover is 1″ above top of bird house, attached to eye bolt hanging bolt with nuts on eye bolt riser, double nutted and locked in place.

[0018] Page #8. FIG. #4

[0019] Drawing for larger bird house jig. Bird houses range in height from 4″ entry hole to bottom of bird house. Entry holes go from 1″ to 1½″ for smaller birds. Larger bird houses go as high as 18″ and entry holes go from 1½″ to 3″ close to top of house.

[0020] Step 7 Larger houses need more than one coconut shell cut and glued together to get length. I'll stay with the smaller houses for now. Full scorer can be used for small bird houses, also for PVC bottoms and stabilizer disc.

[0021] FIG. #5. Showing different sizes of coconut baskets. 

1. I invented the coconut basket
 2. I invented a jig to hod and mark coconut shells for cutting into, and removing parts to make a coconut shell basket.
 3. I invented a jig to wrap around coconut shell to mark handles exactly the same on each basket; ¾″ wide handles. This jig has {fraction (17/64)}″ hole in cross bar at top to fit over ¼″ rod coming through hole in top of coconut shell to make all handles on coconut shell the same. All measurements come from center rod.
 4. I invented ¾″×2⅛″ round wood disc to go on base of coconut shell basket, counter sunk on top side to cover hump on bottom of base of coconut shell basket and to be glued on. In jig, out of jig using ¼″×½″ and ¾″ stove bolts in bottom homes in base of coconut baskets along with glue.
 5. I invented the idea to use 2″ P.V.C. plastic pipe cut into ¾″×2⅜″ O.D. rings to use on base of coconut shell basket as they cover hump on bottom of basket and are glued inside and outside. Then covered with wood disc also bolted to coconut shell basket bottoms on base.
 6. I invented the idea to make a coconut shell bird house of different sizes for large and small birds, large sizes are for two (2) coconuts shells to be cut in middle off-center to get length, and glued back together again, and have then a much longer shell and entry holes drilled different sizes for large and small birds. Some of the larger bird houses will not have rain covers, as they require too much work.
 7. I invented the idea to make a coconut shell basket by cutting a coconut shell in middle of shell and having two (2) baskets with wire handles #9 galvanized wire from one coconut shell, like a small basket, with no waste of coconut shell, they work out fine. They would have same base on top and bottom halves, (cut dead center) of coconut shell. 